I am trying out this core, but files are .bas but .mdv is the supported file format in this core. Is there a conversion utility available? Also, seems this computer was only out for barely over a year. How many games were released for this?

Yes, they're the raw files. You need to create an MDV (microdrive) file using the qlayt utility http://www.jadiam.org/QL/QLAY2/. Sadly, due to crackpots, many original Sinclair QL images for games/programs are still closely guarded and not released.

Once you've got and MDV image run the following commands to load and run the files:dir mdv1_load mdv1_{filename}lrun mdv1_{filename}

Wow, after reading the whole thread and others elsewhere, AND learning about how zip files need to be unzipped on the core from WITHIN the core by somehow getting QL's unzip program onto my SD card (which ironically is itself zipped), this seems way too complicated for me. Utility tools aren't compatible with my OS, I can't convert anything to the required .MDV format and even if I can, most of the commercial titles I'd like to mess with are locked away like a Disney vault. The QL computer may be THE most complicated scenario I've seen yet!

QL forums seem to agree that the core is great work so the platform is there to get better. I may revisit this later in hopes of a simple .MDV collection can be found or easily converted with a simple new utility. For now, I never had a QL so I may live the experience vicariously through other people's videos. I do admire the dedication of everyone to get things working.

Really pleased to discover this core for MiSTer. I wrote some software a very long time ago for the QL, so wanted to get it running. It does! Though, it runs way too fast even on the 'Normal' setting - I don't think I wrote it with anything but the original slow CPU in mind.

It would be really nice if the core could be updated to handle .win image files directly, as I've not figured out the SD card stuff so far. One of my programs is too big to fit in an .mdv file

The one that does work is called RockFall - basically a BoulderDash clone - I'd be happy to contribute the .mdv file if anyone wants to play with it? I ended up using the uqlx emulator on Win10 with the Windows Subsytem for Linux to convert the files to an .mdv. It needed the MDI drivers running on the emulated QL and a certain amount of fiddling. If it helps anyone, here are the steps to get your files onto MiSTer in an .mdv file. Note you can get many pieces of software from Dilwyn Jones' website as zip files, which just need converting to run on MiSTer.

3. Start the Windows Unix prompt and type (omit the > prompt) : > export DISPLAY=:0 This tells the uqxl emulator to use the Xming display 0.4. Install uqlx (http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/emu/index.html#uQLx_for_Linux_etc.) and go to the install directory

5. Create a directory called 'win' under the uqlx directory - this is where you can put files directly to be visible in the emulator6. Edit the uqlxrc-distro file to have at least the following device line. DEVICE = WIN2,win,qdos-like This means that the QL will see the 'win' directory as a device win2_7. Start uqlx - it should have TK2 enabled, needed for the lrespr command > ./uqlx.sh8. Get the MDI driver files from Dilwyn Jones' site: http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/utils/index.html The zip file is called MDI_Driver.zip and the direct link at type of writing is http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/utils/MDIdriver107.zip There is also a manual there as a separate download if you need it.9. Unzip the MDI driver file into the 'win' directory on your PC.

10. Copy whatever files you want to put in your MDV image to the same 'win' directory.

the QL core for MiST and MiSTer can read Microdrive files .mdvthey must be in QLAY format they must be in a subdirectory called QLfor autoload a mdv choose the file in the menuon the Minerva bootscreen press CTRL (F1/F2 optional)

MiST the ql-SD driver does not work with fragmented .win files so it is recommended to format the SD card firstcopy the QXL.win file to the SD cardcopy the latest QL_xxxxxx.rbf to the SD cardor for autostart(rename the latest QL_xxxxxx.rbf to to core.rbf and copy it to the SD card) rename the Minerva_1.98a1_qlsd107_MiST.bin to QL.rom and copy it to the SD cardmake sure there is only one .win file that starts with QXLxxcreate a folder on the SD card named QLcopy the your .mdv files into the QL folder on the SD card

MiSTer : format the I/O micro SD cardcopy the QXL.win file to the I/O micro SD cardcreate a folder on the main micro SD card called QLrename the Minerva_1.98a1_qlsd107.bin to QL.rom and copy it to the QL folder on the main micro SD card copy the latest QL_xxxxxx.rbf to the main micro SD cardcopy your .mdv files into the QL folder

start the core F12 MiST set the memory to 640k (you will get 896k)MiSTer - set the memory to 896k- set the CPU on normal IMPORTANT

save the configurationreset

the driver looks for the QXL.win file and boots from it ,this is win1_you can add more .win files withwin_drive 2,1,"xxx.win" mounts a Win container to win2_ win_drive 3,1,"xxx.win" mounts a Win container to win3_where xxx is the name of the .win file

have fun

Last edited by desin24 on Thu Mar 07, 2019 8:50 am, edited 5 times in total.

I thought to have a look at this core again and see if I can update my SD card for 2019. I re-read and revisited ALL links in this thread and looked for any new weblinks. If things work for you, I am happy, but I do wish to report my own findings and experiments. I have tried freshly formatted cards and stinky fragmented ones with other cores loaded and have yet to find a conflict, but why not try with a fresh SD format prior?

Download the following and put them in the root of your SD card: ql_150820.rbf and ql.rom, but get the extended memory version of ql.rom - how? Real the core description: "E.g. the Toolkit-2 ROM is available for download at http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/pe. The necessary combination of both ready-to-use is available here." Ignore the first download mention and grab the better link in the word HERE which links to the better one here:https://github.com/mist-devel/mist-bina ... /ql/ql.rom. Those two files are ALL you need to get started. Ignore "minerva+qlsd_ql.rom" - you don't need it.

SOFTWARE: The info continues with "Files can be loaded from microdrive images stored in MDV files in QLAY format. Thee files must be exactly 174930 bytes in size. Examples can be found in http://web.inter.nl.net/hcc/A.Jaw.Venema/psion.zip as well as in the examples directory." The zip with give you FOUR .MDV (the only file format the core supports) software titles to play with, namely: ABACUS, ARCHIVE, EASEL, and QUILL. The EXAMPLES directory will give you two more .mdv files: "crazy" and "GamesCart".

Those are SIX titles you may load by starting the core, selecting the .mdv through the OSD, and then hitting reset. That's IT (for now).

Others may have had more success, but I have the same Mist as others, updated to the latest firmware. I am therefore fine saying All other files do nothing for me: Ram settings 128/640k is insignificant: No "Space pods" and no distribution packs out there. No "Minerva_1.98a1_qlsd107_MiST)" conversions needed. I tried all discussed updated .rbf files, both demo and forum versions of "QXL.WIN", etc. Nothing but the above run for me on a MIST.

So I am happy at least to mess around with LOOKING at the 4 productivity titles and maybe playing the 2 games (one being a multigame "The Games Cartridge", featuring [Pirate, ZFred, Gun, Breakout, and Hunt]. SIX total games is still slightly more than a Worlds Of Wonder Action Max console.

I'm all ears if anyone gets any other titles running, but I spent quite a bit of testing time on this core.

seastalker, attached is "Space Pods". Not much interest to anyone else but for me it's the first program I wrote as a young teenager I got paid for. Sadly this QL core runs too fast - about 3-4x. I'd tried in vain to figure out the timing to get it running at the original QL speed but couldn't figure it out. Also I noticed some graphical issues, perhaps due to the speed.

The Sinclair QL really was a wonderful quirky machine, just look how it inspired Linus Torvalds!

I really would like to get a library together for the few game titles for the QL. Don't forget "The Pawn" and "Psion Chess" were originally written for the QL.

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I was successful using a .vhd file for the QL-SD image, so no problem with the fragmentation of the QXL.WIN file. I wish the QL-SD driver could use the SD-Card without a filesystem (like MMFS on Beeb), then simply renaming QXL.WIN to QL.VHD would work.

slingshot wrote:Somebody on the MiSTer forum managed to change the CPU to FX68K, maybe someone who wants to develop on MiST (dream on), should ask for it, and port it.

That was me. The MiSTer QL core will get a major upgrade from me, but as far as I can see the MiST's Cyclone III is too limited for any of the new features or at least makes developing them much more difficult. The Cyclone V used in MiSTer has plenty of inbuilt RAM which makes life a lot easier.Regarding the MiST I don't see much advantage in using the fx68k core.

slingshot wrote:Somebody on the MiSTer forum managed to change the CPU to FX68K, maybe someone who wants to develop on MiST (dream on), should ask for it, and port it.

That was me. The MiSTer QL core will get a major upgrade from me, but as far as I can see the MiST's Cyclone III is too limited for any of the new features or at least makes developing them much more difficult. The Cyclone V used in MiSTer has plenty of inbuilt RAM which makes life a lot easier.Regarding the MiST I don't see much advantage in using the fx68k core.